EuroWire January 2016

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January 2016 52
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Technology
When looking for a cleaning system for
wires, cables, etc, one is often faced with
a dilemma.
Which method, in general mechanical or
wet-chemical, is suitable for the desired
surface quality? In addition, your budget
or your available space might be limited.
However, today the range of
manufacturers of inline cleaning systems
as well as the current market solutions
are manageable.
The appropriate method is still difficult
to determine at first glance. And as a
result of this difficulty, there is often an
attempt to construct and implement
your own solution only to find that the
outcome is, despite intense input of time
and material, inadequate.
Where to begin the search? Basically, the
definition of the cleaning target and the
analysis of the surface texture should be
at the beginning of the search.
Only when these points are defined, the
choice of the suitable method, and if
necessary a suitable cleaning agent, can
be carried out.
Usually a subdivision in “mechanical
cleaning” and “chemical cleaning” is
made, whereby nearly all mechanical
cleaning methods can be combined with
the chemical cleaning.
With mechanical cleaning, the
contamination is removed by the
mechanical frictional force of normally
solid cleaning materials such as brushes,
textiles and microfibres.
To remove gross contamination from the
wire surface, cleaning with brushes or
textile materials is very effective.
However, since the surface
characteristics of the wire are far from
ideal due to, for example, fine cracks and
defects, these methods quickly reach
their limits.
Chemical cleaning means in most cases
that a fluid exposure performs the
cleaning.
The performance of these methods is
considerably improved by increasing the
velocity of the liquid by means of high
pressure, ultrasonic or steam relaxation.
Cleaning processes with liquids,
supported by ultrasonic, high pressure
or steam, can substantially meet the
challenging task of removing dirt even
from the smallest surface defects.
Finally, the effectiveness of the cleaning
process depends on how targeted the
cleaning power (force or impulse) can
be applied to the contamination for a
certain time.
Comprehensive analysis of all
parameters is necessary. Since the choice
of the appropriate cleaning method is
determined by many other factors, a
comprehensive analysis of all parameters
should be undertaken.
This is precisely the approach that GEO-
Reinigungstechnik GmbH (GEO) has
selected. For the last two decades GEO
has explicitly dealt with the cleaning
of continuous profiles such as wires,
ribbons, strands and cables.
GEO offers a complete range of
ultrasonic, high-pressure jet nozzle,
steam and mechanical wire cleaning
systems both for single wire and
multi-wire applications.
GEO has completed the cleaning of
welding wires after the drawing process
by systems for coating with welding wire
finish and subsequent quality control.
The procedures can be tested under
near-production conditions at GEO’s
test laboratory and from the knowledge
gained suitable solutions can be
selected and implemented.
GEO-Reinigungstechnik GmbH –
Germany
Website:
Solving the cleaning system
dilemma
▲ ▲ GEO-Reinigungstechnik – overcoming the cleaning
system dilemma